Scots university in health drive

A SCOTTISH university is to become part of a £6 million international research programme to help rebuild health systems in war-torn countries.

Professor Petra Wend, the principal of Queen Margaret University (QMU), said the move reflected its international standing.

Health economist Professor Barbara McPake, of QMU will co- direct the UK government funded programme to help nations such as Sierra Leone and Cambodia recover from conflict.

QMU, which has a leading health faculty, will receive 1m of the cash.

It will share the 6m pot with Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, the Makerere University in Uganda, the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences in Sierra Leone, the Biomedical Research and Training Institute in Zimbabwe and the Cambodia Development Resource Institute.

Professor McPake said: "There are particular opportunities in post-conflict fragile states for reshaping health systems to give poor people better access to services and reduce the burden of health-related expenditure and associated impoverishment.

"This is important research that could contribute to global security and peace building."

Prof Wend said: "As an institution, our focus is on work that is relevant to the communities we serve. This award reflects that ethos, our international standing and our interdisciplinary vision."

The research programme will focus on health financing, human resources and their interaction.

It aims to build knowledge about the implications for the poorest households of alternative ways of re-establishing financial support for the public system.